This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Victoria Weisfeld will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Blurb:
Travel writer Genie Clarke arrives in Rome seeking inspiration, but her trip turns deadly when she overhears two mafia operatives discussing a secret "Project." Before she can escape, she's attacked and left for dead. Awakening in a hospital-alive but hunted-Genie finds the police unwilling to believe her. Only Detective Leo Angelini takes her seriously, uncovering ties between her assault, a murdered woman, and a powerful criminal network.
With the threat escalating, Leo moves Genie into hiding, where she becomes both key witness and prime target. Cut off from safety and unsure who to trust, Genie must outthink the conspirators determined to silence her.
From Rome's bright piazzas to its shadowed alleys, she faces a terrifying fight for survival-and an unexpected connection with the detective risking everything to protect her. She Knew Too Much is a lean, suspenseful psychological thriller about fear, courage, and the price of knowing too much.
Purchase She Knew Too Much on Amazon
Read an Excerpt
On the far side, I again negotiated the circling rush of traffic and chanced a look behind. What the hell? The spiky-haired blond had crossed the first stream of traffic. Now he jostled through the crowd, coming straight my way. He was tracking me, and he didn’t care if I knew it. I was in trouble. And, if I didn’t want to believe my eyes, the hair on the back of my neck confirmed it. I picked up my pace, walking as fast as I could in my flimsy sandals.
Dozens of times I’d traveled the few blocks connecting the two piazzas. Now this familiar street radiated hostility, and the stones of the Sunday-shuttered buildings reflected no warmth. Surely something, some business, would be open. I sped past my favorite stationery store, the gallery whose owner I’d interviewed. Shut tight as oysters.
Why hadn’t I asked someone near the piazza for help? Could I have made myself understood? Would they have agreed to get involved? I shook my head in frustration.
Interview with Victoria Weisfeld
Could you tell us about any research trips you took for this story? Which places did you visit, and what made them essential to your writing?
Before I started writing She Knew Too Much, a thriller set mostly in Rome, I had already visited Italy several times. Something I had seen in the Borghese Gardens on one of these trips gave me the seed of an idea that eventually grew into the novel.
What's the strangest thing you've ever had to research online for your book?
Crime writers always joke that they expect the FBI to show up on their doorstep because of the kinds of searches they do (and in one case notorious in writer circles, that actually happened). I have several books on weapons that I consult as needed, if only to decrease my vulnerability to a raid (ha!). A major subplot in She Knew Too Much is the failing work of a biomedical scientist. I did a deep dive into his research area so that any mentions of his work would be technically accurate, somewhere at the 30,000-foot level. A lot of research authors do never finds its way into their books. It’s more defensive: It keeps them from making an error that readers might notice.
Because of the Italian locations, I studied a lot of maps and did photo research. An important (real-life) religious object features in the book, and I discovered the special prayer dedicated to it. I also found out about Switzerland’s Chocolate Train—something your readers might want to check into for themselves!
The strangest thing I’ve researched is whether there’s an auto engine light enough for someone to carry easily. There is. It’s in the book.
What research (history, mythology, science) goes into your world-building?
Since I spend more time with these characters than any reader will, I try to make them interesting, with multiple facets, so that I don’t get bored with them. They have pasts. They have ambitions. They know stuff. They make mistakes. And sometimes they are very brave. Almost all of who they are and what they’ve done requires some level of research.
Have any of the people you've known, past or present, left a lasting impression on your writing journey? If so, we'd love to hear about a memorable experience that stands out to you.
For some years I wrote reports for a wonderful woman whose family had escaped Italy just before World War II. She was a small child then, and in America obtained multiple medical degrees and did outstanding human rights work. She was an expert in clear writing (and thinking) and taught me how to stay out of the Land of Vagueness and Confusion. Those lessons in clear writing apply just as importantly to fiction writing, except that sometimes in fiction authors are deliberately vague or misleading. It’s one thing to write a red herring or leave a mystery unexplained for a few chapters, but it’s quite another to inadvertently muddle your reader.
Do you write in the same genre all the time?
Crime/mystery/thriller writing covers a lot of subgenres, and I never tire of it. Very occasionally, I’ve published a short story that falls outside these, including a couple of mystery/horror and mystery/paranormal stories, in two cases involving ghosts.
If so, have you ever consider writing in another one?
I believe I’m stuck in the fascinating groove I’m in.
Which character, supernatural or human, do you enjoy writing the most and why?
Genie Clarke, the protagonist of She Knew Too Much is fun to write. She’s also a writer who does research and travels, and all that is familiar territory to me. Because she’s not a detective or a cop and doesn’t have a lot of experience dealing with dangerous characters, she doesn’t follow normal procedures, and she makes mistakes. Then she and I have to get her out of trouble! I enjoy figuring that out with her.
I hope your readers take the opportunity to read She Knew Too Much. I think they will find it a fast-moving story with touches of romance, humor, and a big dose of humanity. I welcome their responses. Thank you for inviting me to share these few words.
About the Author:
Connect with Victoria Weisfeld
Giveaway:
$25 Amazon/BN GC
2 comments:
Thank you for hosting.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to connect with your readers about She Knew Too Much. Early reviews are great, by the way. I'm happy to answer any questions people may have about the book or writing in general. Have a great day!
Post a Comment